Yes, I'm a Matt Cain owner and I got royally screwed when Finley played what should have been a line-drive DP into a bag of hammers. He ended up getting charged with three ERs on a play that Finley (supposedly God's gift to the OF) should never have flubbed.

I understand that the ball was hit very hard and that it was probably knuckling a little. I also understand that balls hit right at you are very tough to catch. But give me a break here. This is major league baseball. Atkins hit a line drive right at him. He misjudged the depth and then made a feeble attempt to compensate, as the ball glanced off his glove. That is a bad feeling play, an error. And those runs should have been unearned.

Especially when you consider he's won like 5 Gold Gloves or whatever... He absolutely, positively should have made that play. I got screwed by it too, but even if I'd sat Cain (which I almost did ) I'd think it should be an error...

As most FBC posters know, errors (and by extention, earned runs) are a very scientific thing. A pannel of experts reviews every questionable play and, using a precise set of infalable mathematic equations, arrives at an absolute result.

I mean, it's not like they just let one guy's arbitrary judgement decide this stuff.

Doughhead wrote:Yes, I'm a Matt Cain owner and I got royally screwed when Finley played what should have been a line-drive DP into a bag of hammers. He ended up getting charged with three ERs on a play that Finley (supposedly God's gift to the OF) should never have flubbed.

I understand that the ball was hit very hard and that it was probably knuckling a little. I also understand that balls hit right at you are very tough to catch. But give me a break here. This is major league baseball. Atkins hit a line drive right at him. He misjudged the depth and then made a feeble attempt to compensate, as the ball glanced off his glove. That is a bad feeling play, an error. And those runs should have been unearned.

Why are official scorers so forgiving when it comes to this stuff?

The game was at Colorado, so the play went with the home team, so Atkins got credited with a hit. If it had been in San Fran, then Cain would have been given the benefit of the doubt, and an error probably would have been called.